News from around the 32 counties of Ireland

Gathering events are being staged throughout Leitrim this year to welcome back emigrants, to towns, villages and parishes to enjoy their native culture, music and sport. Well the Leitrim diaspora, particularly those from the McLean area in Yonkers, have got a head start on this process.

Seamus Clarke, the proprietor of J.P. Clarke’s on McLean Avenue, recognized a good idea when he heard it, and he adapted the concept to coincide with the Leitrim versus New York clash on May 5. Seamus and Leitrim supporters’ committee organized “A Leitrim Gathering to Remember” in Rory Dolan’s on McLean Avenue in Yonkers after the game.
[Source: Leitrim Observer]
LIMERICK

Gardaí (police) had to be called to Shannon Airport after what has been described as a “mutiny” took place among passengers on a diverted Ryanair flight two weeks ago.

The flight from Krakow to Cork had to be diverted to Shannon due to high winds, but passengers were kept waiting for a number of hours on the tarmac and were not allowed to get off, despite the fact that many of them were due to travel on to Limerick anyway.

After spending close to six hours on the plane, passengers then began to demand that they be let out and claim their baggage, leading to an “agitated” and “vocal” stand-off between passengers and crew.
[Source: Limerick Leader]
LONGFORD

Twenty-four-year-old Aisling Farrell from Tang was crowned the Longford Rose 2013 following a gala event at the Longford Arms on Saturday night, April 27.

The fourth-year medical student at University College Dublin (U.C.D.) is a former pupil of Mercy Convent, Ballymahon, and is the daughter of Susan McKenna and sister to Siobhán and Fergus.

The self-assured and bubbly young woman managed to pip 13 other Roses to the post to claim the Longford Rose crown.
[Source: Longford Leader]

LOUTH

A Louth man has been given a five year sentence for ramming a garda car. It emerged in court that Padraig O'Riordan had a pistol in the car when gardai pursued him in a high-speed chase.

In his submission to the court, defense barrister Brendan Grehan said that the weapon had been discarded some distance from where O'Riordan was arrested and the behavior of the accused was an attempt to escape from gardai rather than an attempt to confront gardai.

In an apparent reference to the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, who was a colleague of the gardai in the case, Mr Grehan said he accepted the evidence "has a particular resonance in this circuit given recent events".

O'Riordan (28), of Point Road, Bellurgan, Co Louth, pleaded guilty to a series of 11 offences carried out in Co Louth between January 17 and 19, 2011.
[Source: Irish Indepdendent]
MAYO

An investigation into the alleged smuggling of cannabis and cocaine into the Acute Mental Health Unit at Mayo General Hospital is ongoing. The Garda (Police) Drugs Unit has visited the hospital unit, where visitors were reportedly smuggling drugs to patients. The H.S.E. has issued a statement saying they are aware of the issue.

In a 2012 report by the inspector of Mental Health Services, the Mayo General Hospital Acute Mental Health Unit was described as being “well managed” on the night of the inspection and it was noted that “observation was carried out as prescribed.”

However, a Castlebar councilor has said it was “no surprise” that drugs were reported to have been smuggled into the hospital unit, as services were being “cut to the bone.”
[Source: The Mayo News]
MEATH

A warning over the H.S.E.’s refusal to replace ambulance crew members who are off sick was made last week following an incident on Sunday, April 28, in which a Garda (police officer) had to drive an ambulance from the scene of an accident near Dunsany.

Four ambulances were dispatched to a road accident in the Dunsany area on Sunday, but one ambulance had just one crew member as the other member of staff was unexpectedly sick.

A Garda had to drive that ambulance to hospital from the scene of the accident.
[Source: Meath Chronicle]
MONAGHAN

Patients who turn up at hospital minor injury units are now facing a charge of $130 for the first time.

Minor injury units, which open for a limited number of hours, have replaced round-the-clock A&E departments in several hospitals.